Don't Break My Heart
by DobbyRocksSocks
Summary: Post Civil War AU! Not Canon Compliant. Tony is trying to protect his heart. He saves Steve's life, he brings the team home, but he's built his walls higher than ever, and Steve's going to have a job trying to get past them this time. Warning for Canon Typical Violence.


**Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise. **

**Challenges listed at the bottom. **

**Word Count** \- 5309

* * *

**Don't Break My Heart **

* * *

"I didn't know who else to go to."

Tony surveyed T'Challa over the desk. "I don't do that anymore."

"With all due respect, Mr Stark, I don't believe you. If there was ever a hero that only wanted to do his best, it was you. I _need _your help. _Captain Rogers _needs your help."

"He's never needed me a single day in his life," Tony argued. "He took the team with him, T'Challa. Why can't they go and save his stubborn ass?"

T'Challa looked away. "Without him, they are floundering. So used to following orders that they do not know what to do without a leader."

Tony frowned, because Sam and Clint and Barnes, he could believe that of, but Nat? Nah.

"Miss Romanov isn't in Wakanda with the rest of them," T'Challa said, apparently reading Tony's thoughts right off his face. "She hasn't been since the beginning, and I do not know how to get in touch with her."

Sighing, Tony ran a hand over his face. "I still don't think I can do much, but leave whatever data you have. I'll take a look at it."

…

The basement was more like a dungeon, and Tony wrinkled his nose at the smell. He'd already blasted his way through an army of idiots, and he was sure more would be waiting on him on his way out, but for now, he had to concentrate on finding Rogers.

The pardons for the Avenger's were almost done, him getting killed now would waste all of Tony's hard work.

The last cell registered a living organism inside, and Tony, after briefly checking the door for explosives (it had happened to him before and the resulting pain still made him wince) he forced the door open.

In the corner of the otherwise empty room, Steve sat with his back to the wall, chained at the wrist.

"Tony?"

"Know anyone else that flies around in a red and gold suit?" Tony asked from behind the faceplate, as carefully, he aimed his repulser at the chain holding Steve. It still left the heavy manacle around his wrist, but they could worry about that later.

"What are you doing here?"

"Getting your idiot self out of a mess. Unless you'd like to stay?"

"No, I really wouldn't. The customer care is awful."

Tony had made that very same joke once upon a time, and it hurt his chest to hear Steve repeat it to him now. He heard movement coming towards them and sighed.

"Looks like things are about to get a lot worse. Can you fight?"

Determined, Steve pushed himself to his feet and nodded.

…

"Tony?"

"Stark?"

"Oh my god, Steve, are you okay?"

Tony set Steve down on the ground outside the palace of Wakanda. T'Challa stood by the stone steps and he nodded to Tony in thanks.

With a quick salute to the King of Wakanda, Tony engaged his repulsors and flew off. He didn't really care for meaningless gratitude, and he certainly wasn't in the mood for a confrontation with his old team, so making a strategic retreat seemed like it was in the best interests of everyone involved.

Besides, it was just a one off anyway. Tony wasn't an Avenger now, hadn't been for a while, if he ever really was one to begin with. He'd just done the King of another country a favour, that was all.

No need to give himself false hope or make the real Avengers feel like they needed to make him back off. He wasn't interested in any of that.

"Where have you been?" Pepper asked, a few hours later when she stopped by his lab. "I asked F.R.I.D.A.Y if you were available for lunch and she said you'd left early."

"Just taking care of a few things for T'Challa," he answered. "Late dinner instead?"

…

The pardons happened a couple of months later. Tony heard that the team were back on American soil, though he was so utterly busy that he didn't have time to see any of them, despite the numerous calls to F.R.I.D.A.Y.

Vision stopped by the Tower occasionally and told him how they were all settling back into the rebuilt compound, but most of the time, Tony pretended he was busy and cut the visits short.

It wasn't that he didn't care, because he did, probably too much. It was that he didn't trust himself not to take a small kindness and make it bigger in his mind. He didn't want to build up the bond he thought he had with them, not again.

He'd done that once before and it had left him broken hearted and alone.

"You don't think you should talk to them?" Rhodey asked one night over pizza. "Let them know that you're not… interested?"

Tony shook his head. "They'll take the hint soon, I'm sure. It's nothing, Sourpatch. Just a few phone calls is all."

"One hundred and sixty three phonecalls, Boss," F.R.I.D.A.Y interjected 'helpfully'.

Rhodey whistled. "In a month. Damn, that's some tenacity. Is that from all of them, or..?"

Tony shrugged but nodded. "They've all called at one point or another, I guess. I've been busy, Honeybear."

"They called me too," Rhodey admitted. "Sam first, to apologise, and then Rogers. He wanted to put forward a formal invite to the Avenger's initiative."

Tony snorted but then looked at his oldest friend. "You should do it. They're lacking in air support, what with Thor still not coming back and all. And you enjoyed it, for the time that you were on that team. You and Sam worked well together."

Rhodey shook his head. "I'm not really interested. I wouldn't be able to follow Rogers' orders, knowing what he did to you. I'd be more likely to repulser him, than I would the villains."

"No you wouldn't," Tony argued, though he was smiling slightly. "You're the consummate professional."

Shrugging, Rhodey returned Tony's smile. "I'm not interested."

"You do you, Boo," Tony replied.

…

"Tony? Tony, what are you doing? You've been locked in here for almost a week!"

Pepper was raging and probably with good reason, though at the moment Tony couldn't quite focus on what reason that was. He was exhausted, dehydrated and starving.

"Miss Potts, Mr Stark is in desperate need of a good meal and a good night's sleep."

Pepper's anger stuttered and her eyes widened. "J.A.R.V.I.S?"

"Indeed, Miss Potts. It is good to see you again."

"It's so good to hear your voice, J," she replied, before turning her attention back to Tony. "This is what you've been doing?"

Tony nodded hazily, struggling to keep his eyes open. He saw her smile fondly, and moments later, she was helping him up. "Come on, you idiot," she murmured. "Let's get you fed and watered and then into bed."

"I had to bring him back, Pep."

"I know you did, Sweetheart. I just wish that you'd taken better care of yourself while you were doing it."

…

"Is that a unicorn?" Tony asked, blinking at the TV.

He'd been eating with Pepper, Rhodey and Happy when J.A.R.V.I.S announced that the Avengers were fighting a battle in central park and it was being televised.

On the screen, he could see Cap fighting a… horse. With a horn.

"A feral one," Happy confirmed.

"See what you could have been enjoying, Rhodey?" Pepper said, her lips twitching. "You could be fighting feral unicorns."

"Who even comes up with this kinda shit?" Tony asked, watching the TV with warring amusement and befuddlement. "Like… who decides that they're gonna desecrate unicorns? What even is that?"

"I mean, I guess the danger here is being impaled by a unicorn, but…" Rhodey shook his head. "I don't even know what to do with that."

"Well. I'm sure they'll be successful in beating them," Tony said with a shrug. "Maybe they can put them in the forbidden forest at Hogwarts. Hagrid would be _thrilled." _

Laughing, Happy shook his head. "You're far too attached to Harry Potter, Boss."

Tony raised his eyebrow. "You say that, but you knew exactly what I was talking about."

…

"At least this time, I didn't find you sitting inside a giant donut."

Tony turned to see Fury leaning against the wall of his lab, his arms and legs both crossed as he watched Tony.

"You still haven't told me if I should look at your eye or your patch," Tony replied flatly. "And I'm definitely not interested in joining your not so secret boyband, so what are you doing here, Nick?"

"They need you."

Tony shook his head. "No, they don't. They never did. They need Cap, and they've got him, so… I don't know what you want me to say."

"Be a consultant, even if you won't rejoin the team."

"No."

"Stark… the public's perception of the Avengers is not good. They can't fight the fights they need too if the public don't respect them."

"So tell them to do a goddamn media circuit or something," Tony replied. "I'm not their fucking nanny, Nick!"

"When asked who their favourite Avenger is, the majority of people say Iron Man. Without question. And yet, ask Iron Man, and he's not an Avenger. It's a problem."

"I got them pardoned. I did my part. I got them back here. I… Nick, I can't give them any more of me." Tony shook his head and dropped the screwdriver he'd been using, looking up at Nick. "They destroyed me once. I won't give them the power to do that again. I can't."

"I know they fucked up. _They _know they fucked up. I'm not asking you to forgive them and go back to playing Happy Families, Tony. I'm asking you to be around when they fight, because the public will back off if they see you there."

Tony opened his mouth but before he could, Fury added, "The world trusts _you_, Tony. What you do with that… I guess it's up to you."

…

"I wondered when you'd find your way here," Tony said, when Nat smiled at him from the sofa. "Don't tell me, you came here with Fury?"

She nodded and stood up, rubbing her hands on her trousers. It was a small sign that she wasn't quite as confident as her smile conveyed, though Tony knew better than to take even that at face value. She could be attempting to manipulate him.

She was called Black Widow for a reason after all, and far too many people had become tangled in her web without even realising the danger she posed.

"It's good to see you."

Tony stared at her for a long moment. "Why are you here, Nat?"

"Because even if you're not an Avenger anymore, you're still my friend," she replied quietly. "At least, I hope you are."

Tony shrugged, but then sighed. "I was thinking about ordering Chinese. Do you want your usual?"

She nodded. "I'd like that."

They made small talk for a while, but it was awkward and stilted and eventually, Tony started laughing. "This is ridiculous."

Nat grinned at him, a real smile this time. "It is."

"I'm not rejoining the team, Nat."

She nodded. "I know. I… don't blame you. Fury seems hopeful that you'll go back to being a consultant though."

"Maybe. If it becomes necessary."

"I think it's been necessary since the team got back… or should I say since _you brought the team back." _

Tony shook his head. "It hasn't. The only battles I've heard about is the one against Doom and then that one a few weeks ago with the feral unicorns."

Her lips twitched and Tony chuckled.

"That was… something," she admitted.

Tony grinned. "It certainly was. Rhodey and I made horn jokes for a week straight."

"Of course you did."

They ate in comfortable silence for a while before Nat looked back up at him. "I missed you."

"Yeah…. I missed you too, Nat."

…

"This belongs to you," Tony said, handing over the case which held the Shield. He'd dropped by the compound, mostly to drop Cap's Shield off, but also to discuss what Fury had told him.

Steve blinked at him before he took the case. "I… wasn't expecting to see you."

Tony shrugged. "I've been getting visits I wasn't expecting either, but hey ho. Here we are."

"I… come in?"

Tony nodded and gestured for Steve to lead the way. The rest of the team were gathered on the sofa, apparently enjoying a lazy Sunday. He could say that he felt bad for disturbing them but he really didn't. When they saw him walking in behind Steve, Clint and Sam both sat up straighter, while Wanda looked down at her hands. Nat got up and walked over to them, welcoming him with a tight hug and a whispered, "thank you."

Tony nodded and when she stepped back, put his hands in his pockets and rocked on the balls of his feet.

"Fury came to see me. I don't know if he did it off his own back, or if you lot put him up to it or what, but he came and he… persuaded me, I suppose, to return to consultant status for the Avengers. So. I guess. If you need help in the field, you can give me a shout."

"You're coming back to the team?" Clint asked, his head tilted slightly.

Tony shook his head. "Not as such. Consultant status only. And only when I'm actually necessary. If you think I'm fighting feral unicorns when I could be sitting at home with my honeybear laughing at them, you've got another thing coming."

Sam snorted. "Man makes a fair point."

"Does that mean the phone tag is going to stop?" Clint asked then, though he looked vaguely amused.

"You can only call it tag when the other person is involved, Barton. Otherwise, it's just called harassment."

Before Clint could reply, a door opened and Barnes stepped into the room, freezing when he saw Tony.

"Don't stop on my account," Tony said, waving him into the room. "I was just leaving. I suppose I'll see you all around."

He turned and left the room, because being there with all of them, with _Barnes _looking at him like he'd kicked his puppy, was a bit too much for his brain to handle.

"Tony!"

Tony paused, grateful that he'd made it outside before Steve caught up with him. He turned around and waited for Steve to be close enough for conversation without shouting.

"I, uh. I guess I wanted to say thanks."

"Oh. You're welcome?"

"Do you even know what I'm thanking you for?"

Tony shrugged. "I feel like an all encompassing 'Thank you' is fine."

Steve shook his head. "It doesn't even come close, Tony."

"Well… maybe it should," Tony replied. He put his hand on the car door handle. "I'd rather just… get on with things, if it's all the same to you, Cap."

Steve seemed to slump in on himself. "Yeah… whatever you want, Tony. I guess I'll see you on the field."

Nodding Tony got into his car. "You should be happier, Cap. You're home, Barnes is doing better, you're still Captain America. I… well. I guess I thought you'd be happier than you are. You've got everything you wanted, right?"

"...right."

"Well. Tell your face that. You've got a pretty smile, Rogers, put it to some use."

…

Peter was talking a mile a minute and Tony was only listening with one ear. Enough so that he was following the general conversation, but most of his concentration was on the TV. The Avengers were out in force, fighting against a very strange looking… witch?

Well, regardless of what she was, she seemed to be wrapped up in a protective bubble that they couldn't penetrate.

"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S said, interrupting Peter mid sentence. "The Avengers are requesting back up."

Tony nodded and turned from the screen. "I thought they might. Sorry Kid, gonna have to cut this short for the day."

"I could—"

"Not today, Peter. If we need you, I'll call, okay? But until then, you stay away."

Peter sighed but nodded. He'd learned his lesson. Mostly. "I will. Promise."

Tony nodded. "Clear it with your Aunt May, and you can stay and chill here this weekend, okay? We'll science, it'll be a grand old time."

Peter grinned. "Okay, Mr… Tony."

Snorting his amusement, Tony left the workshop and made his way up to the flight deck. With just a thought, his suit appeared around him and he shot off the roof towards the fight, J.A.R.V.I.S filling him in on the details.

…

"What the actual fuck," Tony muttered when he landed nine minutes later. Steve was slowly being wrapped in ice, Clint's eyes were _blue_, and Natasha was hiding behind a car rocking herself as she sang under her breath.

"I believe she's using fear as a weapon, Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. explained.

"Why can they never just be normal aliens. Aliens are easy," Tony complained, shooting at the protective bubble. It didn't go through, but it did seem to rock it, so fired again, three times rapidly. Sure enough, a hole appeared in the side.

"Where's Wanda, or better yet, can we call Strange in on this?"

"I believe Miss Maximoff is a block away, watching carefully. If you destroy the protection, she will be ready."

Tony sighed but shrugged. "Good enough."

Flying in rapid circles, Tony shot hole after hole into the bubble while the witch shrieked at him, sending trails of light at him that were barely missing him. He kept away as best he could, because fear was not a thing he was willing to deal with right now.

God only knew what horrors she would have in store for him.

As soon as the bubble dropped completely, Wanda got into place, restraining the witch. Except, the witch seemed stronger and the restraints weren't holding as well as Tony had hoped.

"Miss Maximoff is conveying that she cannot hold the witch, Sir."

Shit, fuck.

Tony shot a repulsor directly at the witch, frustrated when it didn't seem to affect her beyond making her angrier.

"Ahhh, we're in trouble, here, J."

"I believe help will be arriving… now, Sir."

Tony turned and to his relief, saw Stephen Strange stepping out of one of his portal rings. Tony could just about kiss the Sorcerer as he bound the witch with ease, grinning over at Tony with his signature cockiness.

"Asshole," Tony called out, as the face plate faded into nothing.

"You're welcome," Strange replied, as the others started coming around from whatever the witch had done to them.

"Where did Dumbledore come from?" Clint asked, glancing between Stephen and Tony.

"He's the Supreme Sorcerer… big dog of magic," Tony replied with a shrug. "He probably came from bopping in the library to Beyonce with Wong."

Stephen chuckled and summoned a fresh portal. "I'll go and put out the trash, shall I?"

"Appreciate the hand, Glinda," Tony said, waving. "Everyone alright?"

Natasha still seemed pale, and Steve looked shaken, but then nodded anyway. Clint was staring at nothing, and Tony hip-checked him lightly. "You good, Legolas?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah, fine."

Tony nodded, but he didn't believe him in the slightest.

He glanced at the jet and sighed lightly. "Wanda, I don't suppose you know how to fly that thing?"

She shook her head, and Tony grumbled under his breath. "Alright, the lot of you on. I'll fly you back to the compound."

"I can, uh, do it," Clint said, but Tony shook his head.

"The last thing we need at the moment is headlines about the Avengers crashing their Quinjet. Just… get on the goddamn thing."

…

"That new suit of yours is certainly something," Steve said, taking the seat beside Tony in the front of the jet.

Tony nodded. J.A.R.V.I.S had the controls of the jet, so he had no reason to not be paying attention to Steve.

"Well, you know I enjoy upgrades."

Steve nodded. "It's all held in the new reactor?"

Tony nodded hesitantly.

"Are you going to, uh, stick around for a while. For the debrief and… well. We'll probably watch a movie and eat after, you know, like we, uh, like we used too."

"I'll stay for the debrief," Tony replied quietly.

Steve didn't argue with him, though his disappointment was clear and obvious.

Tony tried to tell himself that it didn't matter. He had to protect himself this time, nobody else would do it for him.

…

Time passed and Tony got on with his many roles. He played Tony Fucking Stark out in public, or at SI functions. He was Iron Man for the team and the press when they had no other option but to call him in. Occasionally, he even got time to just be Tony and play around in his lab or get dinner with Pep and Rhodey.

It was all fine, until Thor and Bruce arrived in a flash of light on the compound lawn.

…

"I don't understand what's going—Tony! There you are!" Bruce said, stepping towards Tony as the suit retracted back into the core. "What's all this about you only being a consultant and a big split in the team?"

Behind Bruce, Steve, Thor and Sam are standing there looking awkward, and confused on Thor's part.

"You've been gone a while," Tony said, shrugging. "A lot happened."

"Apparently."

"So, uh. The call to J said that I was needed?"

"Thor and Bruce come with news of a new threat," Steve said, apparently grateful for something to talk about. "Thanos. The Mad Titan."

Tony rubbed a hand down his face. "How big a threat are we talking here?"

Thor looked troubled. "We're talking about the fate of the universe."

Sighing, Tony gestured with his hand towards the conference room. "Nothing like a big old pile of pressure to wake the sense up in the morning. Let's go."

…

"Are you okay?"

Tony let out a curse, turning to see Barnes in the opening to the balcony. "Probably don't scare people in the middle of the night, Barnes. It's bad form."

"Sorry. I just… I was up and I saw you so—"

"I'm okay," Tony said, turning back to look over the grounds. "I've been expecting this for years, since Loki. Since the Avenger's first became a thing."

Bucky stepped closer until he was standing side by side with Tony. "I guess it's going to be all hands on deck this time, huh?"

"All hands, feet, heads, hearts… everything we've got to throw, we'll throw. If it's not good enough… at least we'll know we gave it our all."

Bucky nodded and then cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Whatever you need to say, Barnes, you might as well just spit it out," Tony said, turning his head to look at the super soldier.

"I guess I just wondered if you were ever going to forgive Steve? I mean, I'm not saying you have too, nothing like that, it's just… if the new situation is as dire as it sounds… wouldn't it be better to sort things out now, before… just before."

Tony chuckled despite himself. "You can say it, Barnes. Before we all burn up in the face of the Titan on a mission."

"Well. Yeah. That. But you know, maybe a little less _dramatic." _

Shrugging, Tony nodded. "We should probably talk, you're right. I don't really know what to say to him though, I'll be honest. He's so focused on what happened and I'd rather just… move on. Whatever that looks like."

"He's holding on to it because before it happened, he was happy. He told me a little about your friendship and… he misses you so much it's actually hurting him."

"You're never allowed to call me dramatic ever again."

"... fair enough. But seriously, Stark. He misses you. As much as he ever missed me."

Tony didn't believe that for a second, but he didn't have enough energy to argue the point. He smiled at Barnes and turned back to the starry sky. It was undisturbed, but it didn't take much imagination to see the potential battle heading their way.

…

"You should be sleeping," Tony said quietly. "We all need to be on our game tomorrow."

Steve's eyebrow arched. "It's nice to meet you pot, I'm kettle."

Laughing, Tony conceded the point. "Touche."

"Nightmares?" Steve asked, sitting down on the sofa beside Tony, close enough that Tony could feel his warmth but not quite touching.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Just in the same boat as me, I think."

"It's not even about tomorrow," Tony said after a minute. "It's about… I just…"

"Hey, don't struggle. You don't have to explain."

"Wanda showed me a vision, before she joined the team. I don't know if I ever told you about it," Tony said, swallowing hard when Steve shook his head no. "She showed me the world in ruins, the team dead… except you. You were still alive and… you told me… all my fault. You said it was my fault they were all dead. And then you died too, and I just… I can't get that image out of my head because I knew this was coming, Steve. I told you that years ago, and if I haven't done enough—"

"If we lose tomorrow, then we lose as a team," Steve said firmly. "I would never blame you for something like that, Tony. Not ever. I'm sorry it was ever a fear to begin with, it shouldn't have been. I would never, _ever_, lay blame on your shoulders like that."

Tony couldn't help himself. He slumped sideways into Steve's side. To his credit, Steve took it in stride and wrapped his arm around Tony's shoulders.

"We're going to win this thing, Tony. We are. I know we can do it."

Tony nodded and pressed his face into Steve's oversized hoodie. He didn't want to admit it, but hearing Steve having faith in them, in him, it was the boost he'd sorely needed.

Pulling his head back just far enough to look at Steve, he asked, "Together?"

"Yeah, Tony. Together. Win or lose, we'll do it as we always have."

…

Tony thought he'd been ready for the onslaught.

He'd been sadly mistaken.

…

He was exhausted beyond anything he'd ever felt before. Tony was almost a thousand percent sure that he was going to have to tap out because if he tried to fight anymore, he was going to get himself or someone else killed.

J.A.R.V.I.S was in his ear, analysing the attacks and keeping his systems open for the team so Tony could keep an eye on them all remotely, but even the AI was telling him to back off, to take a break.

They'd been fighting for _hours. _

"Sir, Captain Rogers has faced off with Thanos, and the rest of the team are engaged elsewhere."

All thoughts of tapping out gone, Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S lead him through the sky, blasting enemies out of his path without a thought.

Thanos was aiming his gauntlet at Steve, and Tony saw _red. _

"Not today," he muttered, flying directly between the two of them as the nanobots formed a sword on his right arm. Slicing wildly, Tony was almost frozen in shock when he realised he'd sliced right through the titan's arm, the gauntlet falling to the floor. With a second blow, he sliced off Thanos' head, the nanobots falling away as the last of his power drained.

Tony fell to the floor, crying out in pain when he landed badly on his shoulder.

"Tony!" Steve shouted, running towards him.

Tony picked the gauntlet up, shaking Thanos' arm out of it. He slid it onto his arm and closed his eyes. When he opened them, Steve was close by, watching with tears sliding down his face.

"Don't use it," he begged. "That thing will kill you."

"I have to," Tony replied. "Steve, you know I have too. We… we can't beat this many opponents. I don't have a choice."

"Let me do it, the serum—"

"Wouldn't be enough."

"Then let me get Bruce! The Hulk, he can't die! Tony, don't do this."

"I'm sorry, Steve. I…"

"Don't say it. Please, Tony—"

"I love you. Always have. Always will. I have to keep you safe."

"Tony—"

Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath and then, he snapped his fingers.

…

_Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep… _

…

"Anything?"

Steve shook his head, never taking his eyes off Tony's prone figure on the bed. "Not yet. He should have woken up by now, right?"

Rhodey shrugged. "He's still healing. Helen did everything she could for him, but we don't know if the extremis is going to be enough. I… Tony's been through a lot, and he's survived a lot. I have to believe that he can survive this too."

Nodding, Steve sighed. "He told me he loves me."

Rhodey made a noise of surprise.

"He… didn't give me a chance to tell him I love him too. So, I mean, he has to wake up. So I can tell him."

…

_Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep… _

…

The room was white, but since Tony hadn't actually expected to be waking up at all, he took it in stride. The bleeping machine beside him was irritating though, and he needed it to just not. Groaning, he tried to flap at it, but just the slightest movement sent pain glancing through his body.

"Tony? Oh my god, Tony!"

He managed to turn his head to see Pepper sitting at his bedside. "Hey, Pep."

"How are you feeling?"

He pulled a face at her and made her chuckle through the tears that had begun streaming down her face.

"You need to stop trying to die, Tony."

"But I'm so good at it!"

Before she could tell him off, a gasp from the door told them that they had company, and they looked to see Steve standing in the doorway with two coffee's held in his hands, his eyes on Tony.

Pepper squeezed Tony's hand and stood up. "I'll give you two a few minutes. Prepare for an incoming storm, Tones. I'm going to tell everyone you're awake."

She slipped past Steve, taking the coffee from his hands before he could drop them. Steve stumbled towards the bed.

"You're okay," he murmured. "You're okay."

Tony was shocked to see the way Steve wasn't even trying to hide his emotions as he sat down on the edge of Tony's bed and looked down at him, his hands wrapping around Tony's.

"I love you," he said, the words falling from his lips so naturally, if Tony didn't know better, he'd think that it was something Steve said every day. "You didn't let me tell you, but I love you, Tony. So much."

"Is this… is it a guilt thing or—"

"It's an I am so in love with you it hurts thing," Steve said, interrupting firmly but gently. "I _want _you so much, I love you, and… Tony, did you mean it? When you said—"

"Of course I meant it. You… Steve, what happened between us… it never would have hurt so much if I didn't adore you with every single thing in me. And after… I just… I was trying to protect myself."

"Can we… can we try?"

Tony stared up at him for a long moment. Could he trust that Steve wouldn't hurt him again? Wouldn't it be easier to just… walk away?

Easier, definitely.

But…

"Don't break my heart, Steve."

"I won't," Steve promised, leaning down to brush his lips against Tony's. "I won't. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

**Written for: **

North, Funfair - Splash A Mod - Bex, Comforting someone after a nightmare

East, Funfair - Petting Zoo - Clabbert - Web / Horn / Danger

South - Guess The Name - Norberta - "Looks like things are about to get a lot worse."

365\. 247. Curse.


End file.
